


Catch Your Breath

by Clxarke



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Contains Fluff, Jack Zimmermann's Canon Anxiety Disorder, M/M, Multi, Polyamorous relationship, Polypucks, Polypucks is the greatest okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7807327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clxarke/pseuds/Clxarke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's Anxiety flares and its up to his three doting boyfriends to keep him grounded</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch Your Breath

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! I've been hyped about my Sin Bin's latest obsession:
> 
> Polypucks! (Jack/Bitty/Kent/Tater)
> 
> \- This fic was prompted by my wife CharlieDC (check out her fics!)  
> \- Dedicated to my son Dab Tree and my side ho Mattyo  
> \- Yes, this is what I've been doing instead of updating my Gatsby fic  
> \- I'm a hot mess  
> -This is the 2nd Polypucks fic on the internet holy cow  
> -Note: The short blocks of italics represent spoken (Québécois) French 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Check, Please! Belongs to the lovely Ngozi aka Literal Goddess
> 
> WARNINGS: Main Character has canonical Anxiety Disorder, Self Depreciating Thoughts, Portrayal of an Anxiety Attack (based on personal experience- so it might not reflect an attack that everyone can relate to), Angst, Mild Language.
> 
> Enjoy!

Jack had no idea why the world decided to close in around him and he wasn’t entirely sure if he deserved it.

His agent, Georgia, had called. It was 2pm. The sky was clear, save for a few traffic ‘copters. Jack had closed his laptop, saving the edited photos of course, and grabbed his cell phone off of his nightstand.

Her voice was matter-of-fact, yet harsher than usual. Maybe that was the first thing that put him on edge. Her words followed suit, informing him that, because a big name brand company wanted to get an article, his massive press conference was going to be an hour longer than originally scheduled.

Jack’s hands started shaking. That was the first thing he noticed. It felt oddly distant, like they belonged to someone else.

“Oh.” He’d replied. His voice sounded normal enough, but when he tried to speak again, nothing came out.

A two-hour conference. Cameras on him at all times. Every word he’d say would be documented. Every move he’d make would be analyzed. They were going to ask him intrusive questions about his home life, his love life, his past— and he’d have to evade for _two hours_.

He didn’t remember his agent hanging up. He didn’t remember putting his phone down on the bed.

_I can’t do it._

The thought broadcasted, bright and demanding. It repeated like a mantra as the blood roared in his ears.

_I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it._

His eyes were closed and his heart was hammering so loudly. Everything inside of him became too loud, roaring like the ocean in a storm. It drowned out everything else.

He didn’t hear the front door open, or the voices of two boyfriends playfully chirping one another.

Bitty was the first one to see Jack in his paralyzed sitting position at the edge of their shared, King-sized bed. The Southern boy’s cheerful expression dropped. Jack’s head was in his hands. Bitty recognized the sight instantly from the rigid set of his shoulders and his full body shudders.

He stood in the doorway, eyeing Jack carefully.

“Jack… Honey, can I come in?”

Jack didn’t know how he managed to nod, but he must have because Bitty knelt on the ground in front of him. He didn’t look up, but he could feel Bitty’s close presence. Bitty didn’t touch him, knowing that it might be too much to handle, but his proximity was enough.

“What happened, baby?” Bitty’s voice was as soft as he could make it.

It was still so loud. _So loud._

Jack couldn’t answer. Bitty didn’t expect him to. Thudding footsteps filled the space.

“Bitty?” Tater poked his head into the room, his smile dimming. “What is problem?”

Bitty shot Tater a soft, yet insistent look that translated perfectly. The large man gave a somber nod and lingered between doorframes. After a decisive second, Bitty motioned for him to join them, knowing that Tater would be gentle with Jack. Tater naturally took up a lot of space, but his woeful expression and childish sitting position somehow made him look so _small_. Bitty wanted to cradle both of them, no matter how giant his boyfriends were.

This wasn’t the first time Bitty encountered Jack in the midst of an anxiety attack. It had happened several times before, all sourced from various stressor points in his life. Bitty had to admit it was nice to have Tater with him as backup.

He shook his head, clearing the memories. This was about Jack first and foremost. Right _now_ was most important.

“Hey there.” Bitty tried again, keeping his voice even and smooth. “I can see that something happened while we were out. Sorry we weren’t here to help you, sweetheart.” Bitty hoped his heartache wasn’t evident in his voice. There were so many times when Bitty wished he’d _been_ there from the start. He was never there when Jack needed him and it hurt.

Tater made sure not to touch Jack as he moved a little closer, worry tightening his brow.

“дорогой, we will help.” Tater promised. “Tell us and we will help very much.”

Jack didn’t respond. Bitty noticed his breathing was labored and his hands were tightening in his hair. Speech seemed like an impossible request.

Then he remembered.

Extracting himself gingerly from the room, Bitty tore his cell phone out of his pocket.

“Hey there, hot stuff.” Kent drawled over the line, clearly pleased to receive Bitty’s call. There were loud motor noises in the background, obnoxious car horns and distant sirens. “How’s one of my favorite boys doin’? Gonna entertain me while I sit in traffic? Cause I have a few ideas—”

“ _Kent_.” Bitty filled the word with urgency. “I need you to talk to Jack.”

The loud roar of noise became muffled. Bitty guessed that was Kent closing his window.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“He’s… Um…” Bitty lowered his voice so Jack couldn’t overhear. “He’s having an attack. I need you to talk to him.”

Kent swore at something on his side, causing a long string of beeps to fill the space.

“Why me?” Kent asked, genuinely confused. “Haven’t _you_ , you know, dealt with this before? He doesn’t…” Kent stopped that train of thought and his next words came out softer, defeated. “He isn’t as comfortable around me. I don’t think talking to me will help.”

“It will,” Bitty stated like a fact. “You’re the only one who can speak fluent French. Tater’s conversational French won’t cut it. I have a strong feeling that it will help to hear his first language.” Bitty snuck a look back at the bedroom and sighed. “He loves you, Kent. He loved you long before the rest of us and that has never changed. Don’t devalue how much you mean to him.”

Kent’s end was silent for a long moment. Just as Bitty began to fear he’d hung up, he spoke.

“Put him on.”

Bitty nearly tripped over himself getting back into the room. Jack was still in his shuddering position, head in hands and body rigid. Tater had switched positions so his legs were criss crossed and he was leaning forward intently.

“He say something very quiet,” Tater informed, his eyes wide and shining as they met Bitty’s. “He speak in his mother tongue. I try to say to _everything is okay_ but he is not understanding.”

“I know, Honey. Thank you for trying. Let’s give Kent a turn.”

With that, Bitty took a cautious seat next to Jack on the bed, careful not to weigh down too much on the mattress. He set the phone down on his lap and turned on speakerphone.

“You’re on speaker.” Bitty said, truly praying this would work.

After a second of white noise, Kent’s voice emerged.

“Jacques?” His voice was tinged with both a slight accent and a robotic crackle as the cell phone adapted to the noise. “ _Hey, its me. Bitty told me you weren’t doing so well. I know you probably don’t feel it right now, but you’re safe and you have so many people who love you. I know I’m not the best at this, but I need you to trust me._ ”

Bitty had no idea what Kent was saying, but his voice definitely cracked on that last bit. His worry was replaced by awe when Jack’s shoulders slowly released some tension.

“ _Hey, remember back in the day when we snuck out after practice and got ice cream? You kept complaining that we were breaking diet, but you did it anyway after I told you to just switch your cheat day. You nearly got chocolate sauce on your uniform and I have never in my life seen anyone flip their shit so quickly. And… And on the way home we stopped at this shitty convenience store and you kissed me near the freezers. Remember that? I was an awful kisser back then. I thought you were gonna Chirp me but all you said was: ‘You taste like strawberry ice cream’_ . _God, we were such dorks_.”

Whatever Kent was saying seemed to get a strong reaction from Jack. Bitty was holding his breath.

“ _That was the moment I knew that I was a fucking gonner. I fell so hard that it rattled my brain, Zimms. I know for a fact that no matter what is happening, you are capable. I mean, you dealt with me for so long. Bitty and Tater want to help. They love you so much, Zimms. Talk to them_.”

Both attentive boyfriends were startled when Jack took a deep breath and lowered his hands. His cheeks were slightly damp and his eyes were red around the edges. He picked up the phone and held it closer to his mouth.

“ _I will_ ,” Jack rasped. “ _Thank you, Kent.”_

Kent made a choked noise over the line. Jack handed Bitty the phone and rubbed his eyes. Bitty turned off speaker-phone and held it to his ear.

“Thank you so much, Baby. We love you.”

“I love you too.” Kent cleared his throat, sounding shaken. “I, uh… Just glad I could help. I’ll be home soon.”

Bitty set his phone down on the bed and noticed that Jack’s hands were in Tater’s. From his spot on the floor, he had to crane his neck up to face Jack, but Tater didn’t seem to mind. Tater’s thumb brushed over Jack’s knuckles and he was repeating hushed phrases in Russian. Jack seemed to be calming down.

Bitty scooted closer to Jack, now that it seemed fine to make contact. He smoothed a hand over Jack’s lower back and brought the other one up to clear a stray tear from Jack’s face.

Jack explained the situation. His recount of the problem nearly sent him into another panic, but Bitty and Tater had a better grasp of the situation and was able to soothe him. 

Bitty decided to make a phone call to Jack’s manager.

“Hello?” Georgia

“Hi there, George. This is Eric Bittle, Jack’s boyfriend.”

Bitty kissed Jack’s forehead and took the call into the other room.

“Oh, yes! Of course! What can I do for you, Eric?”

“Is there anything you can do to get Jack out of this press conference? I understand its importance, but Jack has just had an anxiety attack because of it. I'm worried.”

Georgia sighed, “You know I love Jack and want the best for him, but we have too many huge sponsors riding on this. These brands don’t just _sign_ , they _fund_.”

“I understand that, but there is no way—“

Bitty was struck with an idea.

“Let Tater go with him.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let Alexei “Tater” Mashkov go with him to the press conference. He _loves_ answering questions. Jack will feel more comfortable and you’ll get twice the ratings. Think about it. I know for a fact that Tater will be on board.”

Georgia still sounded hesitant, “How can you be sure he’ll agree?”

Bitty smiled, glancing back at his adorable boyfriend completely smothering Jack with a huge bear hug. He actually manages to get Jack to laugh. There is so much love shining in Tater’s eyes. Bitty wondered what _wouldn’t_ Tater do for Jack?

“He owes me a favor.”

The call ended and a deal was now in place. Bitty informed the boys of this and Tater smiled wide, truly thrilled that he could help his boyfriend. Jack seemed unsure, not wanting to drag Tater with him, but Tater wouldn’t hear it. They all settled together on the bed, Bitty’s head against Tater’s chest, Jack’s legs draped over Bitty’s. Bitty traced designs over the skin of Jack’s forearm, loving the way he sighed. His pulse was still pretty fast, but for the most part, Jack was in control.

The front door squeaked open and fell shut. There was a rustle of bags and the jingle of tossed car keys. Tater poked Bitty’s side and gestured to the bedroom door with his head just as Kent stepped through.

“Did I miss anything?” Kent chimed, his arrogance displayed in his voice but not his eyes. Now that Bitty considered it, it never was.

“Not too much,” Tater answered, visibly glowing with Kent in his proximity. “Jack and I have interview soon. We are going to be most famous Hockey Players.”

“Don’t let the fame get to your head, Sweetheart.” Bitty reminded sweetly.

Jack didn’t say a word. He just stared at Kent intently, like he was waiting for something. Kent shifted uncomfortably under the blatant scrutiny. Just as he was wondering if he did something wrong, Jack got off of the bed. Everyone held their breath as Jack strode across the room.

Then he yanked Kent close and enveloped him in a tight hug. Kent’s eyes were wide, peering over Jack’s shoulder, but he hugged back, just as passionate. Jack buried his face into the crook of Kent’s neck (having to lean down slightly to do so) and was breathing hard.

Everyone in the room was speechless— except Tater.

“You both are so cute. I think I am lucky to have so cute boyfriends.”

Kent chuckled as Jack let him go and pulled him onto the bed with the rest of them.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a big sap.” Kent winked at Tater before giving him a quick kiss.

Feeling as though Bitty deserved some love, Kent yanked the smaller blond onto his lap and pressed a number of kisses into his neck, a loose grip on his hips. Bitty was smiling and rolling his eyes at Kent’s dramatics.

Jack smiled softly, comfortable observing.

He was ambushed by the ample love he shared with his boyfriends. It took a feature of every single one of them to bring him back from his anxious mind place—Tater’s selflessness, Bitty’s ambition, and Kent’s compassion.  He felt guilty for making them go to all that work for him. He wasn’t sure what he brought to their relationship that made him deserve this kind of attention.

It didn’t matter. Not with Bitty’s snark and Kent’s disguised affections and Tater’s roaring laughter. His insecurities and anxieties were specks of dust compared to the unbridled passion of the four of them shared.

“Oh, hey Jack?”

Jack perked up at Bitty’s addressed comment.

“Yeah?”

“We should get George some flowers or something. She works really hard and I get the feeling she doesn’t get enough recognition.”

Tater shook his head, suddenly stoic and serious.

“She is powerful lady. Flowers too fragile. We should give her large rock.”

“I agree. She seems like a large rock kind of gal.” Kent said, cracking a smile against Bitty’s neck.

“Sounds good to me.” Jack answered. “Kent, you’re in charge of getting the large rock. Tater can help you carry it so you don’t have to strain yourself.”

Kent pulled his head away from Bitty, his eyebrow quirked. Bitty whined at the loss, but acted indignantly as if he didn’t.

“Jack’s back to Chirping already? Glad you’re feeling better, asshole.”

There it was again. The balance.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope you liked it! Leave your comments below!
> 
> You can follow me @ crosbees.tumblr.com  
> 


End file.
